Rise of Courage
by Angel Ayami
Summary: A second attempt at this kind of fanfiction. In the modern world a young girl who is alone works to move herself through life and school, but her confidence is slowly fading away. All that changes after a storm comes one fateful night.


Ronin Warriors Fanfiction: Rise of Courage

Written by: Angel Ayame

Disclaimer: I do not own any copyright to the Ronin Warriors, it belongs to the original person who created the show. I do hold a claim to the OC being used for this fanfiction.

Note from the Author: I used to watch this show when I was a lot younger and recently it started to come back with a full force, so I'm choosing to write up a fanfiction for it. I'm not sure if it'll go for a continuous series, I would just like to know some opinions is all.

Chapter 1: Taking a Leap of Faith

The date was August 14 2010, the modern age of Tokyo, Japan. The time of mystics and myths, legends and stories have long since faded into distant memory but remained hidden among the many books held in libraries. However, with today's modern age, no one ever seemed to be interested in such a thing anymore. A storm was brewing overhead, rain was pounding on the glass and roof of a house that sat on a grassy plain just outside the city and the only occupant was a girl of teenage years, sitting at a desk as her pencil scratched across the paper in front of her, drawing figures in eloquent movement. It seemed to be a rough draft of a comic page. She sat up straight and yawned softly rubbing the back of her neck as she set her pencil down, turning her attention to the television that was playing a DVD at the moment of an old anime that premiered in the 1990's that she loved as a child.

The anime was about five boys around her age maybe a year or two older, who were destined to be these warriors of legend in an apocalyptic version of Japan as an evil warlord of past was aiming to destroy them and the world. The boys were always cute in her mind and always the source of her inspiration for her fan comics which were liked around the web. It made people relive their pasts of childhoods that they missed dearly, but with a few twists here and there.

Her mind was drifting in and out as she watched the show with interest, a light smile on her face. But then there was a loud thunderclap just outside that made her jump out of her chair and hit the floor with a loud thud, effectively knocking over her chair as well since her leg had been wrapped around the leg. She stared up at the ceiling and sighed deeply, sitting up when she heard the familiar buzzing on her desk as the vibration of the cellphone. Raising a hand she picked it up and flipped it open, standing up from the floor, picking up the remote to pause the DVD right in the middle as the boys were in the middle of a fight. "Hello?" she asked rubbing her rear with a sigh.

"Hello~!" replied a cheery voice in her ear. "Yuki how are you?" it was a female voice that made the blonde sag a little with a sigh.

"Hello Suki, I'm fine." Yuki replied as she stifled a soft groan from the pain in her backside.

"What's wrong? You sound like you hurt yourself…again." Suki spoke bluntly, but that air of cheeriness still evident in her tone.

"I'm okay, a thunderclap just spooked me and I fell out of my chair, it's no big deal."

"Oh, that's a relief! Speaking of that thunderclap, is your power still on?"

"Yeah, why?" Yuki asked as she looked at the desk lamp she had on and the television.

"Well you see, the power went off here at my place, I just wanted to see how you were and to be aware that yours could go out too, so make sure you have a lantern with you just in case." Her friend spoke, voice filled with concern for Yuki.

"Oh, okay. Thanks a lot Suki for the heads up, I appreciate it." A small smile crossed Yuki's face. Suki had been her friend ever since she moved here and stuck with her through thick and thin, even the accident. Sometimes people would call them twins because their names were so close together, but they couldn't be more off because they didn't even look like each other at all.

"It's no problem. Oh, how's the comic coming? Are you going to be able to upload it on the deadline?"

"I'm getting there. I'm just working on the rough drawing now, and then I'll finalize it and color it after inking and have it scanned up by Saturday."

"Yay! I can't wait! I wish the power wouldn't have knocked out the internet I could read your comics while I'm waiting for the power to come back on."

"It's okay, I'll see you tomorrow Suki. Take care of yourself." Yuki spoke with a soft chuckle.

"Okay, I'll leave you to your work. Bye bye!" Suki spoke then the line went dead. Yuki sighed softly and closed up her phone after hearing the dead line before picking up the remote and turning the DVD back to play. To be honest, she had been in a bit of a rough patch recently, her comics had to be postponed on some dates and it made people who were overly obsessed with her stuff got angry over nothing. Maybe she just wasn't thinking straight or maybe it was starting to come down to lack of confidence. Who knew?

Sitting on the couch, Yuki curled her knees up to her chest as she watched the anime, the smile returning a little as she watched. At least she could lose herself in something for a while before going back to work.

~o~o~

After about five more episodes it was nearly midnight and Yuki had indulged in her fun a bit too much and she didn't get back to her comic. She looked up at the clock and sighed getting up and stretching. Her ears picked up the sound of the storm outside, it seemed to have just gotten worse, but she was just glad the power didn't go out.

However, there was a resounding rumble of thunder and lightning flashed brightly and in that instant the lights in her house went out. "Oh no." she muttered as she began to dig for the lantern she had in a small cabinet by her desk in case of emergencies and clicked the light on, lighting the way in the dark room. This wasn't good, if her power was out that meant that her alarm clock was out too, so she wouldn't be able to wake up in time for class, especially after staying up for so long watching Ronin Warriors. Yuki reached over and picked up her jacket and pulled it on and brought the hood over her head, walking to the back door, lantern in hand to check on the breaker system.

The rain outside was pounding down on her exposed skin like small stones the moment she walked outside and began to walk the length of the house, she could only hear the wind screaming, thunder rumbling, and see the lightning flashing. The light of her lantern caught onto the small metal box just around her house and she opened the metal door, looking through the breakers to find her bedroom and turn it back on, hoping to God that it would at least bring some life back into her home. The rain was becoming in her face and she had to squint and try to read the thin penmanship on the labels. She found what she was looking for and flicked it on, looking to her bedroom, nothing. Vigorously she made an attempt to turn on the lights but nothing would turn on, her home was in darkness except for the lightning.

Suddenly there was silence, the sound of the wind had dissipated and the thunder was nothing but a dull rumble. Yuki could hear the sound of metal against metal in the sound of a clank clank…clank clank, a rhythmic sound that seemed to become increasingly louder with each passing moment. She turned to look behind her, but she found nothing there among her yard, the sound seemed to be coming from all sides, increasing its tempo, closing in around her it was almost suffocating. "Who's there?!" she tried to call out but her eyes widened and she touched her throat, her voice hadn't come out! The best instinct was to run, but she felt frozen in place as the sound closed in all the more, the ringing in her head by now. She felt dizzy, lightheaded, and weak to the knees. Without much more will left in her body, Yuki's knees buckled under her and she collapsed to the wet grass in a dead faint, still hearing the rhythmic clanking noise in her head and seeing just a faint light before all her world faded to black.

~o~o~

Her head was pounding heavily, Yuki couldn't but groan and reach up and feel the back of her head. It felt like she had been hit upside the head with a blunt instrument, but as she looked at her hand, no blood. She could feel the wind brush in her hair and she carefully stood up, legs shaking ever so slightly. "Did I get struck by lightning and pass out outside?" she asked herself it seemed the storm to her had passed. Sighing she leaned some of her weight on a handrail she was grasping for balance. Wait handrail?! Yuki turned her head and saw she was on a structure of some sort, overlooking a desecrated and broken down city of Tokyo. "What…What's going on here?" she spoke in shock, stepping back.

"Ah, so you have come to at last." A male voice spoke behind her, there was a hint of an echo almost like a spirit. Yuki turned quickly and stared at a man with white hair, eyes covered by the straw hat he had atop his head, wearing an old style uniform that looked like a priest or someone holy carrying a staff in hand.

"Who are you?" Yuki questioned though the shock was there, she recognized him…from the DVDs she was watching what was not long ago.

"I have no name, but many call me the Ancient. I have lived on as a spirit for a long time, searching across as time progressed to the one holding a missing piece to the darkness' destruction." He, the Ancient, spoke as he walked over and stood beside Yuki, glancing at her slightly. "What you see before you is the desecrated remains of Tokyo, your home as well as the home to many other people who would suffer under Talpa's reign. Does this structure we are on not look familiar?"

Yuki looked at him questioningly then looked over the edge, they were high up indeed, but the faded red color was familiar. "We're on top of Tokyo Tower?"

"Correct, this will be where your journey shall begin." Ancient spoke his tone calm. "This is what it would become under Talpa's rule, simply a vision of your future you can say."

"The future, but…!"

"I have heard of what has shown as the story of the Ronin Warriors, where most have been true, the ending has been a mere fabrication. In truth, they are missing a key to unlock their true potential. The power of courage, that which has resided inside you, I had to wait and prepare for you to have become of age before I would bring you here."

"Power of Courage? What journey? What do you mean bring me here?" Yuki spoke as many questions raced through her mind. "I don't understand."

"You will in time, as for when I brought you, I have brought you to the time where Talpa showed himself in this modern city. The time the Ronin Warriors appeared." His voice was calm as he turned and faced Yuki, a harsh wind blowing against them as he pulled a small crystal, the size of a marble rest in his palm. "Yuki, this is your rightful power, should you take it up." Inside the marble a lilac colored sign was blazing within, the kanji for courage. Yuki glanced up at him, her heart was about to leap out of her chest it was pounding so hard, at first thought she believed it would be best to simply deny Ancient coldly, but something else spoke, a voice that said to take it…like it was destiny. Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes, her mouth opening a little to speak.

"Ancient," her voice was oddly calm, almost like someone was speaking through her, "I will take up this power and wield it with all I have in my heart." She reached out a hand and covered the orb and there was a brilliant flash of light and a scatter of cherry blossoms. As her eyes opened she looked down and around, her body was covered in white and lilac sub armor that formed well to her body despite the bulky look.

"It is done. Yuki, you have taken your first step on your destined path. However, one obstacle remains."

"Eh? What is it?"

"I have communicated with the warriors while your consciousness was still lost to the world; they are on the path here. To them at this moment we are invisible, this world is simply an illusion, what you must do now is take that step of courage and take the fall." He spoke motioning his staff to the direction where there was a hole in the hand railing which would definitely lead to her death!

"Okay, I know you're old and all, but that's just crazy!" she exclaimed. "If I fall from this height I'm going to die!"

"The test of courage is never an easy task, but you must have faith in me as well as the warriors that you will live." Ancient replied as he backed away and began to fade away. "The moment you fall this illusion will fade and you will become in the world before. Have faith and courage Yuki…we shall meet again."

Just like that he was gone, out of sight. Yuki swallowed hard as she walked to the open area in the hand railing, gripping the good stuff for support as she stared down below. "This is nuts…" she muttered softly as she closed her eyes to look away. "This is a dream…it has to be…" she opened an eye and looked back down, feeling a shiver down her spine. "If it's a dream, I hope the shock will wake me." She muttered, stepping a foot over the edge, closing her eyes a little and moving her other foot forward…she fell.

The wind was screaming in her eardrums, ringing loudly as she opened her eyes a little as she was plummeting towards what she believed was certain death. Her sub armor vanished away leaving her only in her jacket, shirt, jeans and shoes that she was wearing during the storm and the broken city began to melt away past the screens of her blonde strands. Odd she didn't scream, an odd sense of peace came over her, almost like a feeling of sleep. 'Courage…' she thought dimly before she blacked out without even feeling the hard surface she landed upon with a dull roar.

Chapter 1 End

~o~o~

Angel Ayami's Afterword: Yay for giving this a second try, a long time ago I actually did write up a fanfiction but that was back then I used to take plot ideas and use them for a personal story instead of one I would post. Now that I'm older and wiser, I know what I'm doing when I write my stories. For this one I took the time to pick up the pieces that I remember from my past but actually do some research of Japanese Bushido things such as elements and the virtues that the Ronin's were based from to make it better. Courage was a virtue so I chose to use it, I haven't read a Ronin Warriors fanfiction in a while so to me this idea is fresher, though of course I did add my lovely OC. I hope you enjoyed maybe I'll write a second one, depends on the support that I have.

P.S. Don't bug me about the whole plot device, I didn't just want to plunk her into the original Ronin world without a fun explanation and idea of how she got there. So you don't like it, bugger off!


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